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TODAY'S THEME
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| David Archuleta of Murray, Utah (U.S.A.) |
The Idol host just said: "It is the final vote show." He told us that 97 1/2 million votes came in since yesterday, 54% were for one "David" and the other 46% were for the other "David."
We have been told that in two hours we will know whether, 25 year old David Cook of Blue Springs, Missouri or 17 year old David Archuleta of Murray, Utah will be this current season's "American Idol." I won't be typing during the entire time, but I won't finish this blog post typing session until after the winning David is announced.
I have chosen to begin this blog this way for a special purpose. You'll just have to read along as I write to see how I tie this American Idol event into this current Blog title, "Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon? Part 6"
David Cook just said something like:
"I guess I'd like the bar-room setting that's coming up, because that reminds me of what I did before I began doing this."I heard him mention last week that he had been working as bar-tender. I'm sure he performed that job conscientiously. He obviously knows how to work hard because of his having developed such musical talent as he has. The other David, David Archuleta, didn't make a comment at this point.
I won't focus on David Cook in this post, but I will focus on 17 year old David Archuleta. I have never personally met him, but inasmuch as we live about a half mile from where David had been attending High School in Murray, Utah and we live no more than about 2 miles from his home, I have read and heard much about him.
I believe I understand why the younger David is quite humble and expresses appreciation for what is happening to him, through many difficulties, and even why he chooses the songs that he was allowed to choose to sing in this very challenging competition. His fellow students at Murray often have called him "shy."
However, David A. is clearly very confident of his ability to sing and it is very obvious he loves:
"good music."
I personally think he regularly makes the songs he sings, better by singing them. His "favorite song" which I believe he sung yesterday has in it the words
"Make the Whole World One."Listening to him sing that song made me, a Mormon, realize why David Archuleta, also a Mormon, believes like I and other Mormons (or more properly stated, Latter-day Saints) do, that the more righteous people of the World will, before long, after the Lord Jesus Christ has come for the second time, become fully united, or as David's favorite song prays for: "Make the Whole World One."
Because it has been reported that David and his family are active "Latter-day Saints," I have taken the liberty to assume he has learned and really believes and lives according to what is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In my view, David comes across as a very talented, spiritual and humble young man instead as a just a talented entertainer who could be described as "worldly."
Just about a year or two ago, LDS prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, requested that the entire Church membership read the Book of Mormon during that year. If I were a betting man I would bet that young David Archuleta read the Book of Mormon all the way through sometime during that year, or did the best he could to do so. For this reason I am going to highlight several significant things that David Archuleta most likely read and believes in fervently, if I read him right. Please read the following from your own Book of Mormon, I Nephi 3:7, if you have one or click on the following:
1 Nephi 3:7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.This was said by young Nephi just before he took upon himself an exceedingly difficult task of accomplishing something crucially important that his father, Lehi told him the Lord wanted him and his three brothers to accomplish. If you aren't aware of what this assignment was and how Nephi, with the Lord's guidance accomplished what the Lord, through his father, Lehi, wanted him to do, Please open the Book of Mormon right here and read I Nephi, Chapter 3:1-31 to read about these accomplishments. You may also want to read: 1 Nephi 4:1-38.
If you were to ask David Archuleta if he tries to emulate the kinds of challenging things Nephi accomplished as a young man about David's own present age when Nephi started to accomplish what God and his own father wanted him to accomplish, I would guess he would say something like, "I could never do what young Nephi did," but actually what he, David Archuleta, has recently accomplished, in many ways, is equally challenging.
David took upon himself a very challenging opportunity by competing with a number of other talented young people in the American Idol contest. He has performed at his very best through a long and drawn out challenge and during all of this I am convinced that he kept his humility and faith in His Heavenly Father and in Our Savior, Jesus Christ.
It was just announced that the vote has gone to David Cook. This older David is weeping with what I see as humility. You don't have to learn about humility only from reading scriptures, you can learn it through facing hard challenges such as David Cook has done and by being a basically good person. Humble David Archuleta said this about David Cook after the announcement: "I watched him and learned from him."
Afterwards it was said that David Archuleta, despite the decision having gone against him, was in good spirits. They are trying to have David Archleta make his comments. That didn't happen for some reason.
One spectator said, "David Archuleta won a lot of little girls' hearts." I, Neil Birch, think he won the hearts of many people of all ages, because of his good character.
I hope young David was able to share some of his beliefs with the older David. I have no doubt that David Archuleta's faith in God remains very strong. I am positive that David Archuleta will continue to be a very dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will continue to be strengthened by this book of books, The Book of Mormon.
I would even guess that if David could speak with you personally and you asked him about the Book of Mormon, he would suggest you read Moroni 10: 3-7, like I am sure, if I am reading his character correctly, he, David Archuleta has sometime before personally done.
I personally believe that the Lord had a hand in what happened tonight to both Davids. I think that David Archuletta will be guided in his life by the Lord because of his great faith and ability to face hard challenges much like Nephi, son of Lehi, did.
I have focused on David Archuletta in this post, but I would like to focus on each of you , the readers of this blog post. You are as important to the Lord Jesus Christ as either Nephi, David Archuletta and David Cook. The invitation given above by Moroni to each of us, are the words of Jesus Christ as written by one of His great prophets, Moroni, son of Mormon. Hopefully, each of us will whole-heartedly accept Moroni's words as the Lord's words and then you, like Nephi of old will say,
I Nephi 3:7 I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.
If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.
Neil Birch
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